Mixed Carboxylate Ligands Bridging Tetra-Pr 3+ -Encapsulated Antimonotungstate: Syntheses, Structure, and Catalytic Activity for Imidazoles Synthesis

Multinuclear Pr-containing antimonotungstate [Pr (H O) W O (mal) (OAc)( α SbW O ) ] ( , mal = malate anion, OAc = acetate anion), bridged by organic carboxylic acid, was synthesized through a one-pot assembly reaction and structurally characterized. is composed of four [ α SbW O ] fragments fused together by an organic-inorganic hybrid central [Pr (H O) W O (mal) (OAc)] cluster core through 24 μ -O atoms. Notably, the central cluster comprises unprecedented decanuclear Pr (H O) W O jointly decorated by two types of carboxylic acid ligands. This integration of rare earth-containing antimonotungstate with mixed organic carboxylate ligands is very rare in POMs chemistry. exhibits excellent catalytic activity in the cyclo-condensation reaction involving benzil, aldehyde, and NH OAc. A series of 2,4,5-trisubstituted imidazoles were synthesized in remarkable yields using PrOH as a green solvent.